Betrayed by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #5)(29)

“Good afternoon,” the woman said in a pleasant voice. “Welcome to the Black Lion Inn. Are you staying long?”

“We’re here to meet a friend,” Iannis said. “He’s waiting for us in the common area.”

“We could use some food though,” I mentioned, holding up a finger before Iannis could drag me over there.

“Gallie, our server, should be coming around to the common room in a few moments,” the woman assured us with a smile. “You go off and meet your friend, and I’ll let her know that you two will want something to eat.”

“As I recall, you ate three helpings on the flight,” Iannis commented in my head as we walked away, a smirk in his voice. I could feel the woman’s curious gaze on us as we passed through the entrance to the right.

“Yeah, but I’m still hungry. And besides, there may not be much food wherever Elnos is taking us.” Any smart shifter fueled up every chance she got, and as a magic user, I needed even more energy than the average shifter.

It wasn’t hard to find Elnos—he was wearing the same disguise he’d donned before leaving town, and was sitting in a chair by the fire, gazing toward the window, his features tight with strain. He turned his head as we approached and jumped a little in his chair, no doubt sensing the magic that provided our glamour.

“Hey,” I greeted him quietly in my my own voice. “It’s Sunaya, and Iannis.”

Elnos’s mouth opened in surprise, and he jumped up from his seat. “L--” He caught himself just before he shouted Iannis’s name aloud. “Lord Iannis, Sunaya,” he said more quietly as he enfolded me into a quick hug. “I’m so glad you were able to get here on such short notice.” He looked absolutely nothing like the fresh-faced, gangly young mage that I knew—the man hugging me was more filled out, sporting a leather jacket and dark sunglasses rather than mage robes.

“As it turns out, you’ve landed smack dab in the middle of a mission the Minister’s sent us on,” I said as Iannis and I settled onto the couch across from Elnos.

“What?” Elnos’s eyes widened. “Do you mean to say that the Federation has taken a special interest in the Resistance compound here?”

“Be quiet a moment,” Iannis warned, lifting his hand. He muttered a Word and snapped his fingers. My nose twitched as the scent of magic laced the air, shimmering around us for an instant like a pearly soap bubble.

“There,” Iannis said, sitting back and making himself comfortable. “No one will be able to overhear us.”

“Really?” I arched a brow, and filed away the Word he’d muttered for later use. “That’s a nifty trick.”

“I should have thought to do that. Sorry.” Elnos sighed, scrubbing a hand over the lower half of his face. “I’ve just been so… frazzled, these past few days.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that you and Annia had been separated,” I said, my mood dropping. “What happened?”

“About ten days ago, the Resistance transferred Noria out here to work on some highly classified project,” Elnos began. He took off his shades, exposing the dark circles beneath his worried gaze. “It was pretty clear she wasn’t coming back to Canalo any time soon. When Annia and I weren’t able to wangle a transfer to Noria’s new location, we deserted.”

“So you made your way to Osero on your own?” Iannis asked.

“Yes. We obtained Noria’s location from a Resistance soldier using suggestion magic, then traveled by boat to Parabas. We arrived four days ago, and, from the soldier’s description, we were able to locate the compound quickly enough. It is an underground bunker hidden under a wooded hill, on the outskirts of the town.”

“So it must be within walking distance,” I mused, glancing out the window.

“Yes,” Elnos confirmed. “Unfortunately, things grew more difficult from there. Security around the bunker is tight. Worse, there is some sort of ward surrounding the perimeter that prevents any mage from entering.”

“So Doctor Mitas wasn’t lying.” Iannis’s brows drew together. “They really do have a way to keep mages out. I will have to investigate this ward myself, to identify the spell and perhaps dismantle it.”

A server in a grey dress and apron came to our table then, and I ordered meat pies for all of us. “I hope you can break that ward, Lord Iannis,” Elnos said fervently after she’d gone, “because Annia is within those walls, and I’m not sure if they’ve taken her prisoner or executed her.”

“How did she manage to get caught?” I demanded.

Elnos took a long drink from his beer mug before replying. “She was trying to find another way into the bunker from the back. Unfortunately, she was picked up by a patrol, and they nearly killed her right then and there. There was blood on the ground, from several people, I think.” Frustration sparked in his eyes. “I told her to stay near me, where I could protect her, but she didn’t listen. And because she was on the other side of the wards, I couldn’t get to her. She’s stubborn, like her sister.”

“Yes, she is.” A bittersweet smile curved my lips, then faded away as I thought of Noria. “Do you think Noria knows Annia is being held in the compound?”

“It’s hard to say,” Elnos admitted, his shoulders slumping. My heart sank at the look on his face—I’d never seen him so discouraged. “I don’t know exactly how large the bunker is, but the perimeter protected by the ward is huge. I’m afraid it’s all too possible that Annia could be locked away in an entirely different section from Noria, and that Noria could be unaware of her presence, sequestered away in her technical work.”